U.S. Congressman Sylvester Turner, who took the oath of office just two months prior, passed away at the age of 70 on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, as confirmed by multiple sources.
The former eight-year Democratic mayor of Houston, Texas, Turner passed away on Wednesday morning, March 5, 2025, following his attendance at President Donald Trump’s joint session of Congress address the previous day.
Since January, Turner had been serving Texas’s 18th congressional district, stepping into the role left vacant by the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who lost her battle with pancreatic cancer in July 2024.
While an official cause of death has yet to be announced, the Courthouse News Service reported that Turner succumbed to his long fight with bone cancer in a Washington hospital. Turner made his osteosarcoma diagnosis public in 2022 and declared himself cancer-free during his congressional campaign.
Turner’s sudden passing left his colleagues in Congress in shock, many of whom had seen him at the president’s address the night before. A video shared on Turner’s X account on Tuesday showed him present for the presidential address in Washington, D.C.
The House Democratic Caucus expressed their shock and grief over the unexpected passing of the newly elected congressman, recognizing his dedicated service to Houston’s residents, as reported by KCCI.
A public servant for nearly three decades, Turner served in the Texas House of Representatives before becoming Houston’s mayor in 2016. He successfully navigated Houston, the fourth-largest city in the U.S., through several significant challenges, including the destructive flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Turner, a preferred candidate of Jackson Lee’s family to succeed her, won the predominantly Democratic district, which includes a large portion of inner-city Houston, in the November 2024 election and officially took office in January 2025.
In the wake of Turner’s death, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is expected to call a special election to fill the now-vacant 18th congressional district seat. Fox26Houston states that “The special election will be held on May 3, 2025, the next regularly scheduled election date. Candidates wishing to run for the seat must file an application for a spot on the ballot, and the winner must receive the majority of votes.”
Until a new representative is elected, the district offices will continue to provide constituent services under the Clerk of the House of Representatives’ supervision.
Turner’s passing impacts the delicate balance of power in the House of Representatives. Courthouse News Service reported that “Turner’s death leaves the House at a 218-214 split, giving Republicans one extra vote of breathing room in the upcoming legislative contest over the federal budget.”
Though Turner’s tenure in Congress was brief, his more than three decades of public service marked him as a significant political figure in Houston.
When Jackson Lee passed away in July 2024, Turner, who was Houston’s mayor at the time, honored her legacy. “Former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also paid tribute to Jackson Lee, praising her work in underserved communities and her tireless efforts to serve the people of Houston,” according to Houston Public Media.
The 18th congressional district has a history of being represented by notable Democratic politicians, including Barbara Jordan, the first Black woman elected to Congress from the South. She was succeeded by Jackson Lee, who served for nearly 30 years from 1995 until her death in 2024.
Colleagues from across the political spectrum have started paying tribute to Turner, recognizing his decades of service to Houston and Texas, following the news of his death.
